Requires any entity that knowingly collects, shares or sells to third parties the personal data of a consumer to register with the department of business regulations and permits for the consumer to request deletion of the personal data.

Rhode Island DELETE Act – Plain English Summary

This bill would create new rules for any business or organization that collects, shares, or sells personal information about Rhode Island consumers. Under the bill, these entities would be required to register with the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulations, essentially creating a public record of who is collecting and trading in people's personal data. "Personal data" could include things like your name, address, browsing habits, purchase history, or other identifying information that companies routinely gather.

The bill also gives consumers a powerful new right: the ability to ask that their personal information be deleted. If you wanted a company to erase the data it has collected about you, you could submit a deletion request and the company would be required to honor it. This puts more control in the hands of individual Rhode Islanders over how their information is used and shared.

This bill would affect a wide range of businesses — from large technology companies and data brokers to retailers, apps, and websites — essentially any entity that knowingly handles consumer data and passes it along to outside parties. Consumers across Rhode Island would benefit from greater transparency and control, while businesses would face new compliance responsibilities, including registration requirements and processes for handling deletion requests.

Currently, the bill has been referred to the Senate Commerce Committee and later transferred to the Senate Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies Committee, where it has been recommended for further study. It has not yet been passed into law.